Future's Gateway
by Little Yugi-kun
Summary: Yuugi(Yugi) Mutou is in a wreck. It has been a month or so since the Ceremonial Duel, but despite the length of time that passed, Yuugi is still completely devastated. A blow to the head causes something strange to happen. / First continuing fanfiction! Read and review, please! /
1. Memories

Not everyone in the world was perfect.

In fact...

Nobody in the world was a human being of perfection.

Sitting at a desk, a small structured person seemed to be working on what looked like a piece of paper before him. A desk lamp dimly lit up the room. Despite the light, his head was leaning down close to the paper, as if trying to get a better look at it. It was obvious that whoever this was seemed to be working as hard as possible just to be able to see.

Soon enough, a door had opened. It was the door that was the entrance of the room.

A soft voice struck the dead silence of the night.

"Yuugi?"

Looking over his shoulder, the light revealed part of his face. Said person had glittery and bright amethyst eyes that sparkled from time to time, almost as if they contained all of his hidden emotions. Obviously a male, wild colors of black and magenta spiked up the boy's hair in a crazy fashion. Yellow bangs scattered and littered his face as soon as his head was turned. A soft voice came in response to the slightly rasped and older-sounding voice.

"Yes, Grandpa?" 

Slowly making his way over, the other being revealed himself in the light. It was clear that he was an older man by the gray hair and wrinkled skin, but there trailed gentleness with every word he spoke. A little flabbergasted that his grandson was up so late, he stood behind the chair that the younger was sitting in and looked down, causing the other to lean back and tilt his head back just to meet the elder's eyes.

"What're you doing up so late? You have school tomorrow. It's almost 12:00pm." The senior spoke in a soft whisper. A cloud of concern flooded his eyes when he noticed the boy's amethyst gaze was glazed over with exhaustion. The teen made a small huff and rested his tired eyes for a moment, taking in the question before he opened his mouth to answer.

"I need to finish this.. I promised I would..." Yuugi started trailing off quietly through his sentences when his tiredness would occasionally block his mind. "... Would finish homework before I went to sleep..."

The concern in Grandpa's eyes lingered for a minute before he placed one of his hands onto the teen's left shoulder, who trembled at the sudden warmth. "Yuugi... you need to sleep now. You'll never make it through the day tomorrow if you keep staying up all night like this." The hand remained on Yuugi's shoulder as the man gave a small and reassuring pat. "I've been noticing that your grades are dropping. What is bothering you?"

That did it. Pain surged through the heart of young Yuugi when those words were spoken. A month or two ago, the Ceremonial Duel had taken place. He still missed Yami – no, Atem – so much, just longing to feel the spirit's comforting touch and hear his words again. Carefully placing down the pencil, both of the boy's hands came up to cover his reddening face, as soft sobbing was audible though muffled through the sound of his hands. The same shock of overwhelming emotion hit the old man as well, recalling that Yuugi had said his last goodbyes to his closest and best friend, and knew how upset he must have felt. It had taken Yuugi eight years to solve the Millennium Puzzle, and when solved is when he met Yami.

At first, Yuugi didn't know about Yami. He noticed that he would have random lapses in his memory ever since the puzzle was completed. When Jounouchi and Honda were picking on him, Ushio was the one who had just made it worse. The huge bully – that was about three times the size of Yuugi – had forced him into something that he didn't want to have, and that was for Ushio to be Yuugi's bodyguard. Though the smaller teen didn't want this, Ushio was already a step ahead and beat up the ones that were picking on little Yuugi. He was absolutely horrified at the sight he saw when the bully had lead him to the back of the school to 'show him something'. That was something he would never forget, for what followed was even worse.

Ushio told Yuugi to pay up for the forced bodyguard duties, which came out to be 20,000 yen. There was no way that Yuugi had that much, nor would he want to put a burden on his grandfather, so he had just kept to himself. To think, the teen sat down and fiddled around with his puzzle, asking himself questions about what he should do as if the puzzle could answer him. Gradually finding himself doing better and better as the minutes passed, the boy's hopes were up tremendously when he had one piece left. It gave Yuugi great shock when he found that the last piece was not in the puzzle box, where all of the pieces were. He was thinking, perhaps, that it could be back at school, however completely oblivious that Jounouchi had stolen the piece and threw it into a water system outside the school. When he arrived at the school, Ushio had been waiting for him there, and expected Yuugi to have the money on him when he appeared. Trying to explain that he forgot something at school, the look that the bully was giving him was not believable. He took the smaller teen to the back of the school and beat him to the point where he lay face-down and out of breath, finding it hard to breathe or move because of the wounds and bruises that soiled his body from the brutal beating. The next moment, he could never forget.

The ones that always picked on him, Jounouchi and Honda, came to his rescue.

Jounouchi had run up to Yuugi, who lay helpless and motionless, and put an item into his small hand. Still stunned from the beating, Yuugi did not notice it right away, whispering silently to himself despite the pain of it from kicks to the chest.

_"I wished... for true friends... friends that would never betray me, and would stay by my side... no matter what..."_

Those words echoed in little Yuugi's head, which seemed to make his crying heavier. True friends. He wished on the Millennium Puzzle for true friends... Jounouchi and Honda proved to be so when they had both attacked Ushio, well aware that the bigger male was much stronger and well built. Though the two bullies had fallen to the ground, writhing in pain before going unconscious, Ushio had turned and started away with a dark and mysterious chuckle of amusement. In the moments that the winner was slowly walking away, Yuugi noticed something cold in his hand, and opened it.

The last puzzle piece...

His gaze shifted over to the Millennium Puzzle. It was the last piece.

He reached a hand out to try to fit the piece, though wincing and gasping from the pain he had to go through just stretching his arm. Suddenly, the puzzle started glowing. Yuugi started feeling a little dizzy before everything went black. That must have been when Yami took over, and he knew that for a fact. From that moment on, Yuugi was having lapses in his memory. He thought that his friends would find him to be weird if he explained his black outs, so he decided to keep to himself. His memory jumped to Kaiba Land.

Death T.

A sickening shudder racked the teen's body when he thought about it. Losing his friends, or so he thought, and began blaming himself. The stage before the duel with Mokuba and Kaiba, the falling blocks, he had experienced another black out. It was brief, but it left him terrified and overwhelmed until he HAD to tell Jounouchi and Anzu about how he felt.

_"I feel like there's another __**me**__ inside of my head that I don't know about!"_

Yuugi remembered the exact quote. That was the first time that he realized that Yami was the one that made him black out, that made him have lapses when he thought back. Part of him wished for it back; anything to have Yami back would ease the poor teen's panic.

Grandpa watched as his grandson suffered right before his eyes. A wave of sympathy washed over him. Yuugi must be so devastated without Yami, especially after all they'd been through together. Saving the world, overcoming their enemies in duels, etc. Now, Yuugi was alone, alone to live life by himself and making his own decisions. Grandpa, of course, was letting Yuugi stay as long as he wished. He was a very understanding man that would do anything to help with Yuugi's suffering. The old man wasted so bad to help, but the young teen would not listen to him and hadn't been for the past few months.

Not only were grades dropping, but his health definitely was as well. He'd lost weight and continued to refuse to eat unless he was comfortable. If Yuugi tried to eat something after not eating for so long, the boy would be having to spend all day and night in the bathroom. Absences were building up on his school record. What could he do? He was mourning over the loss of his best friend.

The older man had sighed and picked Yuugi up and out of the chair, hugging the smaller male close to him. "I know you miss him, my boy... It will be okay. Yami is somewhere better. I'm sure he misses you, too." Almost instinctively, Yuugi buried his face into his grandfather's chest and sobbed loudly.

"I miss him, Grandpa, I miss him so much!"

Something tugged at Grandpa's heart as he heard the words of his grandson. Soon enough, tears were falling from his eyes. He held the boy close to his chest, just allowing Yuugi to use him for a shoulder to cry on. The teen had been this way ever since the Ceremonial Duel, despite his optimism almost soon after the cave was crumbling.

Yuugi only wished to speak to Yami one more time, to just hold the puzzle. There was something that he didn't tell Yami, and it pained him that he never told his feelings.

He loved Yami.

He loved Yami more than a close friend.

For the longest time, Yuugi had a deep crush on Anzu, especially in the early days since the solving of the puzzle. However, he felt as if that feeling faded from both thinking that Anzu didn't feel the same way, and that he was feeling closer and closer to Yami than anyone besides his grandpa. The teen had no idea what the cause of his black outs were at the time; he was unaware that it was Yami who was protecting him and his friends in times of trouble. That was why he would suddenly come back and see the bully or the enemy on the ground or acting against something that wasn't even there.

His memory flashed to the duel with Kaiba.

When dueling, he felt a presence deep inside him, feeling that it was almost guiding him to the right moves. Little did he know, it was Yami. It made him feel comfortable, until the moment in the duel where Kaiba threatened to take his life if he lost. A cowardly act, really. However, the presence didn't back down. It launched the Celtic Guardian until Yuugi stepped in to stop the act, stopped the attack to the remaining yet weakened Blue-Eyes. He could never forget the moment where he fell on his hands and knees, crying over what he had almost done. It wasn't him, though, it was Yami...

Yuugi knew that Yami was just looking out for him, looking out for his grandpa and getting his soul back, feeling that he failed everyone by losing the duel against Pegasus over the tape. Yuugi didn't feel it was right to attack and risk Kaiba's life over a duel. It was hard. Kaiba wanted Mokuba back, and Yuugi wanted his grandpa back. If it weren't for Mai, Yuugi would not have gotten into the castle. Then again... if it weren't for Yami who helped him in the duels, Yuugi would not be where he is now. Yami shaped him both as a duelist and as a person, teaching him courage and to never give up. He strengthened his belief in the heart of the cards.

Yuugi was a very optimistic teenager with a constant smile. After the Ceremonial Duel, however, the always happy smile faded. This hurt Grandpa's heart. He missed the beautiful and happy grin that his grandson always had displayed. The things he would give just to see Yuugi's smile again. Grandpa had tried to invite Yuugi's friends over to see if they could help in cheering Yuugi up, but it was no use. It was best to let the teen mourn, but not in the way that he was.

The boy refused to eat and barely went anywhere but school. When he'd arrive home, he would just lock himself up in his room and never come out. When he didn't go to school, it was when his stomach acted or feeling light-headed. Most of the time, however, Yuugi would push through it and go to school, which mostly ended up in Grandpa having to come and pick Yuugi up from school for feeling sick during the day. His tardiness and absences from school were adding up, and the old man wouldn't be surprised if he received a phone call to come in and talk with the principal. He had got a few calls that warned. It was worrying him greatly.

Gently patting the teen's back, Grandpa pulled back to look at his grandson's eyes. The poor teen looked miserable.

The happily burning youthful spark in Yuugi's eyes had faded over the past month. Dark circles were visible under his large eyes, and he was paler than ever before. He was very light in weight and appeared to be frail, his feelings very fragile if you rubbed him the wrong way. Yuugi spent most days crying in his room. Although suicidal thoughts ran through his head, thinking that he would be better off with Yami, Yuugi knew better that it was not a very smart choice. The thought that Yami was with him kept him content and comfortable, giving him something to live for, but it was obvious that his health was declining rapidly.

"Yuugi... Get some sleep. Everything will be all right."

His grandfather's words had reassured him a bit. Yuugi always loved when Grandpa would soothe him with words. He showed signs of dozing off as the older man talked, and opened his heavy-lidded eyes slightly to look up at the one family member that he had left. A forced smile came to his face.

"Thank you, Grandpa," Yuugi murmured, before a small yet brief yawn took him over. Even a month later, he was still shocked by the loss of Yami.

The old man smiled softly when he felt his grandson relax in the embrace. He hoped that Yuugi would smile, but he was getting expectant for nothing. The same upset expression beamed across Yuugi's face. Grandpa hugged Yuugi close to him, noticing how light in weight the boy was. He said goodnight, then slowly made his way over to the door, looking over his shoulder one last time to find the gleaming amethyst eyes glittering with tears staring back at him. As much as he wanted to stay with his grandson, he needed to sleep and get up to watch the shop, hoping that Yuugi would get some sleep as well. Giving a soft smile, he finally exited the room.

Yuugi just stared at the closed door a moment. His breathing started to pick up a little bit as his eyes closed, releasing the tears that he was trying to hold back. Every part of him hurt so bad. His eyes hurt the most from his constant crying. Every night was the same thing over and over again. He would stay up, work on his homework, then try his best to get some sleep. Most nights, he found that he could not sleep. He felt so exhausted the next day, and would occasionally drift off in his classes. It was a good thing that Jounouchi was in his classes, or else he would have constant detention. Clicking off his desk lamp, Yuugi scrambled into his bed and curled up under the covers.

At that moment, the grief had hit him suddenly. It sent him into tears once again. Yuugi's face collided with the pillow before he gasped and cried into it. Yami... Was he okay? He wondered if he missed Yuugi as much as Yuugi missed Yami...

After what felt like forever, Yuugi sat up and rubbed his eyes. Carefully getting onto shaky legs, he made his way over to the bathroom to wash up before he went to bed. He grimaced at his appearance. Miserable and unhealthy... Yuugi steadied his breathing to keep from crying. What was there to live for anymore? The spirit of Yami was barely keeping him emotionally stable. He'd been neglecting his health for the past month.

Carefully, Yuugi turned the knob on the sink and splashed his face with warm water. The feeling comforted him and for whatever reason, he seemed to enjoy it. Yuugi stood there for a moment and allowed himself to collect his thoughts.

"Yami... What do you think I should do?" Almost as if Yami was right next to him, Yuugi whispered the question as his head tilted back to look up. His eyes hurriedly narrowed to block out the overwhelming shining of the light. "I miss you..."

One of his hands rose to rest on his chest. He did not want to go to school tomorrow with all of the pressure he was going through. In fact, he wished he did not have to go to school at all. His friends all gave him concerned and worried looks, constantly asking if he felt okay.

He drew a sharp breath in. He hated when everyone continuously asked if he was okay. The teen started to pant slightly from getting worked up. Everytime they would ask, he would just give the same answer.

_"I'm fine."_

One thing he hated most; he could not stand when people repetitively asked a question or follow up with similar questions. They would also ask if he was sure, and the answer would always be:

_"Yes!"_

Although it wasn't the truth, he did not want his friends to keep worrying about him. All of them were busy outside of school. It was one less thing that was needed to be on their minds.

Yuugi leaned against the door of the bathroom and crossed his arms for a few minutes to calm himself down, before straightening up and stretching. He winced when he heard popping and cracking, however he sighed in slight relief afterward. He had been so tense and jumpy lately.

Finally, Yuugi stalked out of the bathroom and into his room again, quietly sneaking back into his bed. He covered himself up and shivered. Yuugi had calmed his mind and was determined not to break out into tears again once he had found himself to be comfortable in the bed. He could not help but think about what could happen in school tomorrow. Sighing, he closed his eyes.

Eventually, the uneasy teen had drifted off into a restless sleep. 


	2. The New Student

**Sorry for the long delay! I've been very busy with school work and other things. .  
Here's chapter two!  
I'll try to update more frequently. I've been losing ideas when I get them. :c**

* * *

****Everything was silent.

Nothing had been the same anymore ever since Yami left to the afterlife.

Even silence fell upon the group of friends; Jounouchi, Anzu, and Honda had all grown so apart. Yuugi was the one who especially felt excluded.

It was another lonely day. Jounouchi sat on top of one of the desks in the classroom, gazing around. Where was Anzu and Honda? More importantly… Where was Yuugi?

With a sigh, the blonde let his legs dangle and swing off of the desk. Maybe he could cheer Yuugi up today… Maybe he could get Honda and Anzu together, and they could all go out somewhere like they always used to do. The thought made Jounouchi perk up a bit. Ironically, Anzu and Honda walked in together. They chatted quietly to themselves.

"Hey, guys!" Jounouchi waved over to where he was, so the two could join.

"Jounouchi!" Anzu and Honda exclaimed in unison as they walked over to their friend who was smiling like an idiot.

"Guys… I think we should do somethin' to cheer up Yug' today. You know how he's been… down since Yami left? I miss seein' our buddy smile…"

The three lowered their heads in thought. What could they do to cheer Yuugi up today? Jounouchi began to suspect something…

Yuugi still wasn't here yet.

Looking up, Jounouchi gazed at the clock located right above the door. 7:35 A.M. Homeroom would start any minute now. "Speaking of Yug', where…"

Anzu quickly cupped a hand over the blonde's mouth when a familiar, short figure entered the room.

Yuugi.

Sympathy flooded into the eyes of the three friends. Yuugi looked as terrible as ever. With the usual goofy grin, Jounouchi gave Anzu a slight look and moved her hand, and stood to walk over to his little buddy. "Hey, pal! We were wonderin' if you wanna -"

Yuugi looked up with a look that could say a thousand words. Jounouchi placed his hands on the shorter boy's shoulders. He was sick of seeing Yuugi so ill and upset every single day, and it was time to change that and get the boy to talk. "Yuugi, listen ta' me... You need to snap out of it. We can't bring Yami back. I know ya' miss him, we all do, but-"

The blonde was cut off by a few sobs. Amethyst eyes glittered up at him, brimming with tears, a few drops of liquid finding their way down. Honda came up behind Jounouchi and tugged on his arm, pulling the male away from their now crying and sobbing friend.

"Way to go!" Honda hissed. Anzu ran over and pulled Yuugi close as the boy buried his face in his hands.

Guilt flooded the eyes of Jounouchi. "Y-Yug', I didn't mean-"

"It's okay, Jounouchi," Anzu was the one who spoke up, rubbing Yuugi's back soothingly and letting him cry into her chest, "we know you didn't mean it. It was an accident. We know Yuugi's sensitive to the topic…"

"RIght…" With a sigh, Jounouchi turned to Yuugi and kneeled down in front of him when he muttered an apology to Anzu, and then he turned away to face the blonde.

"Yug'... Forgive me… I didn't mean to make you cry, bud…" Jounouchi took Yuugi's arm with one of his hands and pulled him closer, making eye contact. Not wanting to be rude and just turn away, Yuugi met the eyes of his friend. That's when Jounouchi noticed how miserable Yuugi actually was, and he tried not to react negatively.

"I forgive you… Jounouchi-kun…" Yuugi spoke. That was a first. Something wasn't right… Yuugi's voice rasped and cracked. Concern joined in alongside the sympathy and guilt in the blonde's eyes.

Straightening up, Jounouchi smiled warmly to help brighten up the mood. "Hey, Yug', it's alright. Just remember that Yami's watching over you. Everything will be okay."

"You don't know how it feels…" Yuugi sniffled and closed his eyes. "I loved him."

Jounouchi's eyes brightened. "Do ya' know how hard it was to watch my sister being taken away from me? When Mom and Dad separated… Mom took Serenity, and I had to stay with Dad-"

"You actually got to see your sister again…"

Jounouchi paused. How was he to counter that? Another pang of sympathy stabbed at his heart. "Sorry, Yug'..."

A long silence fell over the group. Everyone took their seats. Homeroom was about to start.

The class seemed rather silent today, surprisingly. Homeroom was usually a very chatty class.

The teacher entered the classroom soon after and called everyone to attention. It took a few tries, it finally managed to calm everyone down. Yuugi was the only one who had his head on his desk, but the teacher was excused from scolding him since Solomon had explained what was wrong.

"Class," the teacher began, speaking in a loud and clear voice, "I am happy to say that we have a new student joining us today."

Everybody perked up. Everyone besides Yuugi and his friends, at least. Questions filled the room.

"Is it a boy?"

"Is it a girl?"

"What do they look like?"

"What's their name?"

"When will they be here?"

"QUIET!"

The room fell silent almost immediately.

Gesturing to the door, a smile crossed the teacher's face. The door opened slowly.

Spikey black and crimson hair was visible first. Yuugi's friends gasped when the person walked in.

"Class, this is Yami Sennen."

Yuugi tensed, lifting his head slowly as tears streamed down his cheeks. All the attention was now on Yuugi as the male in charge turned his head. "Mutou? Something wrong?"

The new student eyed his look alike and raised an eyebrow. "Yami, man?! Is that really you?!" Jounouchi was the one who rose and blurted, but the new male looked like he had no idea who the blonde was. Anzu and Honda stood as well, but Yuugi just sat at his desk and cried. "Yami, Yami…"

"Do you know them?" The teacher blinked and looked over at Yami who shook his head.

"I'm afraid not, Sensei."

"Dude!" Jounouchi looked aggravated, believing hard that this was his friend. "It's Jounouchi, Yuugi, Anzu, and Honda! You remember us, don't you?!" He glanced at Yuugi, who was having a panic attack in his seat.

Everyone's eyes were on the shaking and panting boy. Yuugi and this 'Yami' resembled each other… the only differences were that Yami had crimson tips while Yuugi had purple, crimson versus amethyst in eye color, and Yami's eyes were sharper than Yuugi's.

"Is… Is he alright?" It was Yami who now spoke, concern obvious in his red irises. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Yami…?" Yuugi lifted his head. "Is that really you?"

Yami froze. Who was this kid and how did he know his name?

"How do you know me?" Yami said, completely confused. Yuugi looked devastated and laid his head down. Maybe he could try again later. Now was not the time.

Yuugi didn't seem to be paying attention in class, but rather had his eyes on Yami. Every so often Yami glanced over at Yuugi with concerned eyes. What was wrong with this kid? He looked so… pale and miserable. Was he sick, perhaps? It sure looked like it.

* * *

The first class seemed to go fast. Yami jotted down notes and jumped when the bell rang. It was louder than his old school's bell. That would be something that he'd have to get used to.

His eyes immediately landed on Yuugi, who seemed to have drifted off in class. Poor kid… Yami thought. Suddenly, he had an idea. Soon enough, he found himself in front of the boy's desk. Yuugi lifted his head and looked up with dull eyes. It hit Yami almost immediately when he realized how much of a resemblance they actually shared.

After a short pause, Yami blinked.

"Hi."

Yuugi blinked his lavender eyes as he gazed around. Yami looked saddened by this and sighed, shaking his head.

"I was talking to you, kid…"

"Me?" Yami noticed the boy's voice was at a higher pitch than his own. He gave a nod.

"Hey… Uh… Are you alright? You looked so upset earlier when the teacher said my name..." Speaking lamely, he felt a little awkward.

Yuugi's eyes flooded over with tears. "S-Sorry… You didn't do anything. It's nothing important." He stood up and gathered his books, but Yami had a disbelieving look.

"It's obviously important if you're crying about it."

The shorter boy blinked at the sudden change of attitude. "I'll… I'll tell you later." Yuugi ran off when Yami called out for him. "W-wait!"

It was too late.

Yami gathered his own things and exited the classroom, lost in this thoughts.

A few periods passed, but the downside of it was that he had no classes with Yuugi or his friends. It was lunch time, though. Maybe Yuugi was in his lunch period.

* * *

It didn't take too long to find him. Jounouchi, Honda, Anzu, and Yuugi all sat together at the same table. Jounouchi was the first one to notice Yami.

"Hey, Yami! Over here!"

Smiling, Yami happily made his way over to their lunch table Everyone seemed so quiet when Yuugi lifted his head. Yami's attention was mainly on the smaller boy; the look the kid gave him was so upsetting.

"Hi, guys." Yami grinned and took a seat next to Yuugi who put his head back down. The crimson-eyed teen gazed down at him with concerned eyes. He didn't notice that the others were looking at him. Lifting his head, Yami looked the eyes on him and mouthed something to the three. Jounouchi shook his head and stood, motioning Yami over and leading the slightly shorter boy away from the table.

"Hey, it was nothing you did," Jounouchi started with a stern look, "Yug' lost someone very close to him last month… We all did."

Surprise shot through Yami like a bullet as Jounouchi continued. "Well… He isn't takin' it as well as us three are. Yuugi was the one closest to him." He stopped short, but Yami gave a pleading look.

"Go on..." His curiosity was growing by the second. He wanted to know what was wrong with Yuugi.

Jounouchi looked distraught as he took in a breath. "Yuugi was always the kind of kid who would like ta' play alone. Back then I would always bully him because he wasn't actin' like a man. Honda and I," he gestured over to the brunette who sat next to Anzu, "would always bully him and pick on him for that reason. One day… He came ta school with this puzzle box. I didn't know what it actually was… I tricked him into giving it to me so I could take a piece and throw it off somewhere so he couldn't complete it." He laughed slightly, but it was obviously not enthusiastic.

Yami frowned when Jounouchi stopped. "Continue."

"Little did I know it was the Millennium Puzzle… Something that came from Egypt." He shrugged. "Yug' could explain it better, but it had some kind of ancient Egyptian spirit inside of it. He was a pharaoh. When Yuugi solved it, that spirit inhabited his body, or somethin' along those lines. Yuugi and that guy shared a close bond. We all called him Yami, ironically. His real name was Atem, and he looks exactly like you."

"Exactly… like me?" Yami blinked and pointed at himself. He was finding it hard to believe that this ancient spirit had a nickname that was his actual name, not to mention that Atem looked exactly like himself. Jounouchi nodded. "You're like a mirror image. That's why Yuugi broke down, because we thought you were him."

"I… I am sorry about your friend." Yami bowed his head.

"Don't worry about it… I understand that Yuugi's hurt and all, but I think it's time he got over it…"

Yami raised an eyebrow. "It's not easy to get over losing someone close to you."

Jounouchi just shook his head and lead Yami back to the table. Yuugi had drifted off again with his head down on the table, and Anzu was rubbing his back. Honda sat across from the two. Jounouchi and Yami made their way back to the table with unreadable expressions when a silence fell over the group. All eyes were on Yuugi.

"Hey, Yami…"

Yami's attention was taken when Jounouchi called his name. The blonde leaned over and whispered in his ear in case Yuugi woke up. "We were going to take Yuugi out somewhere later to cheer him up… Would you like to come with us?" Yami's eyes brightened. "Of course."

Yuugi was just beginning to stir when Jounouchi and Yami finished talking. Coincidentally, the bell rang.

"What class do you have next, Yami?" Anzu asked. "All four of us have math."

Yami looked into his folder to check his schedule and, sure enough, he had the same class as the others.

"I have that, too," he said, smiling. Jounouchi nodded and gave a thumbs up.

"Sweet! Let's go, then!" Jounouchi jumped up from the lunch table and slammed his palms down on the surface, scaring everyone half to death.

"Easy, Jounouchi!" Anzu cried. Yuugi jumped up as Anzu continued rubbing his back. "Careful…"

"Heh, sorry…" The blonde rubbed the back of his head. "We should get going to class."

* * *

Math class was just the same, though the group was casting glances at Yami. Yami would occasionally glance back, but he was more focused on getting caught up with the work since he was a new student. Yuugi was dozing off in his desk.

The teacher snapped at Yuugi a few times for nodding off, but Anzu requested talking to her about the problem that the tri-colored teen was facing at the moment. Understanding, the teacher nodded and went back to teaching her lesson. Anzu volunteered to take extra notes for Yuugi.

Jounouchi passed notes with Honda during class. Not exactly being an A student, he usually just goofed off and did not care about what work was to be done. It was the same with Honda.

But the teacher wasn't stupid. Turning her head sharply, she glared at her two students. "Katsuya, would you care to read what is on that note that you have in your hand?" The class giggled. 'Nice going,' Honda mouthed to the blonde, who scowled with a red face.

"No, Sensei," he stated nonchalantly. The teacher raised an eyebrow and walked over, snatching the note. She read it aloud. The notes were very perverted, and the class broke into fits of laughter. Well, everyone but Yami, Yuugi, Anzu, and the two troublemakers was cracking up. "You are to see me after class, you two." Sensei pointed to Honda and Jounouchi. They both lowered their head and replied in unison: "Understood, Sensei…"

The bell rang, and everyone was almost out the door when they collected their books. Yami glanced to the rest, but his attention was more so on Yuugi than anyone else. Jounouchi and Honda were collecting their books to go talk to the teacher.

Yuugi silently collected what he had brought with him, which wasn't much. As he took everything in hand, he began to walk to the front to exit. Poor footing tripped him.

"Yuugi!" Anzu gasped, seeing him falling, and tried to run for his rescue. The others did the same, but it was too late. Yuugi's head collided with the desk and made a large thud, a faint cracking sound perhaps, followed by a large cry from the little boy. He fell to the ground and, not long after, was unconscious.

Anzu dropped to her knees in front of him and turned him over. "Yuu-" she started, but looked horrified.

"C-call 911! Call 911!"

The others hurried over and had the same reaction as Anzu.

Yuugi was bleeding all over his head, and it was oozing out fast. Jounouchi was quick to take out his cell phone and speak to 911 (or more yelling into the phone.) The teacher was a great help by getting the nurse to help control the bleeding - at least until the paramedics came - and helped her. Yami watched with immense terror. Had it been so bad that the boy could now barely walk?

An ambulance soon arrived and medical staff piled into the building. The attention of many students were caught by this, and questions flooded the hallways. They burst into the math classroom and checked Yuugi's vital signs. His pulse was beginning to fade. Quickly, they put Yuugi onto a stretcher and hurried him out of the exit that lead from the room to outside, so nobody had to see the boy in such a state. The teacher and nurse let the group of friends go with them, including Yami.

They all piled into the hospital car as it took off.

* * *

**Hahaha! Cliffhanger! :D  
****Now to come up with ideas. Chapter three shouldn't take as long, I promise.  
****Until next time!**

**~ _Little Yugi-kun_**


End file.
